Decorating with Fall Leaves

Fall is a beautiful season and while many autumn leaves find their way into my home, their fragile nature makes it difficult to extend that beauty for more than a week.  For years I've wanted to create something permanent that gives the appearance of the colorful, scattered leaves for my Thanksgiving table, and believe I've found the solution!

Let me show you how to create a delicate bowl and a pair of placemats (or a tablerunner) from garland, so that the beauty of the season can be used for future celeberations.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Four (4) lengths of autumn garland

• Autumn garland is found at hobby stores and is often made from a polyester blend fabric.  When choosing your garland, find one that has different types of leaf texture.  One of the leaf textures should be soft, similar to a dryer sheet, and the other should be stiff, similar to umbrella fabric.

• Also, select a garland that has various leaf sizes, so that they appear as random fallen leaves.  If not available, trim the polyester leaf into the desired leaf shape. 

• Softer leaves (dryer sheet texture) will be used for the decorative bowl.

• Firmer leaves (umbrella texture)  will be used for the placemats/table runner.

For the Bowl

• White Glue, diluted slightly with water
• Sponge Applicator/Paint Brush
• Jar with Lid
• Plastic Wrap
• Bowl (to soak leaves)
• Bowl (to act as the base/form)
• Sealer/Finisher

For the Placemats/Table Runner

• Yellow or Orange Thread
• Needle or Sewing Machine

Comments

[art_clifford]

mee like!

[poofrabbit]

Super neat idea! I might try to make the bowl for a piece in a still life, my students will both love and hate it. :) However, I will love it, I like to challenge them. Well done!

[kcli]

Wow...that would make for some interesting art, especially with so many colors going on. I bet they'll enjoy the challenge. ;-)

[poofrabbit]

I agree! I will keep you posted, I need to see if I can find some cheep fall leaves. :)

[WriterChick]

I love this, and will be doing it ASAP. Thanks!

[kcli]

It's a fun project and especially challenging if you have 3 cats that want to be part of the photo shoot ;-)

[WriterChick]

Fortunately, most kitties are autumn-colored ... somewhat. Mine help while I'm cooking too, despite my persistent efforts to discourage this. Means I always get my RDA of cat hair!